Monster Hunter Now is an upcoming location-based adventure game for iOS and Android from Niantic and Capcom

Today, Niantic has announced a new game that's been developed in partnership with Capcom. It's called Monster Hunter Now and sees players taking to the real world to battle against various beasties with their pals and other players. It's set to launch for iOS and Android in September, with a closed beta test planned for later this month.

Of all the franchises you could pick from, Monster Hunter is a good choice for Niantic's style of game. Heading out into your neighbourhood searching for creatures to battle works well with the map-based approach the team is known for. It's also a series that's enjoyed an uptick in popularity in recent years, thanks to the success of Monster Hunter: World and Rise.

In Monster Hunter Now, as you might expect, it will use Niantic's location-based tech to spawn creatures for you to find and battle with friends or on your own. Interestingly, the game also has an item called a Paintball.

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Using it, you can tag a monster to battle at another time, whether that's at home or when you're stuck waiting in line. It also allows you to invite a friend to the battle or deal with the beastie alone. It's not all on you to Paintball monsters, though. As you walk around, your Palico companion can mark them for you to hunt another time.

As for the battles against the monster, Now will use a series of taps and swipes to control the action. From the brief examples we've seen so far, it looks a bit more involved than Pokemon Go, which immediately devolves into rapid tapping and not having to pay much attention.

Monster Hunter Now will be available on the App Store and Google Play later this year. Ahead of the launch, the team is hosting a beta. If you're interested in taking part, head over to the game's official website to sign up for a chance to get involved.